Obliviate
by ottervine
Summary: Hermione must alter her parents memories for their own safety while the Wizarding War is going on. This is how the "obliviate" scene in the film should have been included in the book.


Hermione gracefully took a sip of her water, smiling at her mother who was always pleased to see her do so. From a young age Hermione had been encouraged to drink water and eat correctly, having dentists for parents.

"So I assume you'll be needing to go to Diagon Alley in the next few days," her father said. "Do you want us to take you?"

"Oh, Peter, stop it," Tess said rather quickly, smiling to Hermione. "You go along with Harry and Ronald, we understand that you'd rather go with your friends than your old _parents_!"

Peter shrugged, "I suppose that's fine." He stiffened in his seat, clicking on the television. He rubbed a piece of lint off of his navy blue cashmere sweater and turned his attention to the television.

Hermione and Tess, her mother, were sitting on the loveseat, just across from Peter. "Yes, I suppose I'll go in a few days. You two ought to come, though. See Harry and Ron, they've always mentioned that they want to see you two again." She looked at her mother, her eyes were widening with delight.

"Oh do they?" She was beaming. "I would _love_ to see your friends. After all, we've heard so much about them, and it's been years since we've seen them... Back at Diagon... Isn't that right, Peter?"

"What?" He asked, looking over his spectacles at Tess.

She smiled, "wouldn't you enjoy seeing Ronald and Harry?"

"Oh, yes, very much so," he said, letting his gaze slip back to the television.

Hermione looked down the narrow hallway where a guest washroom and her parents' bedroom was. Crookshanks was chasing something up and down it, slapping his little golden paws down at the wood, attempting to capture whatever it was he saw.

"And Molly, too, dear," Tess said. "I'd really like to thank Molly. She's done so very much for you all these past years and I owe her a thank you at least."

Hermione smiled, "yes, all right." She nodded and then set her water down upon the glass coffee table. "This year I'll be in Runes II, you know. I'm _very_ excited for it."

"Really?" Tess grinned wildly, "what sort of thing do you do in a class called Runes?"

"Runes were ancient symbols used for scribing, so we decipher all sorts of things and learn the meaning of different runes. Haven't I shown you my copy of Spellman's Syllabary?" Noticing her mother shake her head, she gasped, "well I thought I would've shown you by _now_!"

Peter picked up the newspaper from the glass table, flicking off the television. "Oh my..." He trailed off, concentrating sternly on the paper.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, worried. Ever since the Ministry of Magic infiltration, even the muggles had become victims of attacks. Voldemort was gaining total control. She felt sick thinking her father had read of some vicious muggle massacre, like the ones that had been taking place in the previous weeks.

The Daily Prophet had reported many of the muggle murders, but Hermione knew better. The reports the Prophet made were minor compared to what was really going on. Hermione predicted the Death Eaters would soon enough cease to have the Prophet publish stories of muggle deaths at all, given the Prophet's strong ties to the Ministry.

"Right smack dab in the middle of Australia, a place called Alice Springs, well look what they've found!" He held up the paper for Tess and Hermione to see the large photograph of a strange, scaled, winged creature in flight. "That's odd, isn't it?"

"It is," Tess confirmed. "Australia is so beautiful, isn't it?" She smiled to herself.

Peter nodded, "ever since the honeymoon I've wanted to go back."

"I have too," Tess said. She turned to Hermione, "but we would never do that to you. All of your friends are here, your school, your future job..."

Hermione agreed, "yes. Perhaps once you retire it might be nice to live there?" She shrugged, glancing back and forth from her father and mother. "Where was your honeymoon again?"

"Broome. Gorgeous little beachy town," Peter told her. "Marvelous. That was, oh, let's see...'72?" He looked amazed, "well by golly, can you believe it was exactly _twenty five years_ ago that we had our honey moon?" He was really asking Tess, but seemed to be looking generally at she and Hermione.

"Time certainly has passed, look at you for example! Come November you'll be _eighteen_! Our little Hermione," Tess just smiled, her eyes getting misty.

Hermione blushed, struggling with the greatest intensity not to let her eyes get misty as well. "Oh, mum!" She hugged her and carefully, as to not let her mother see, wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh, look at us." Tess chuckled, "I'll go and get us some tea, all right?" Hermione nodded. "And Peter, would you like some dear?"

Peter nodded as well, and so Tess stood from the loveseat, a vintage Elizabethan piece, and ran her hands down her cream coloured skirt to smooth it out. She was always dressed rather nicely, and this particular Saturday was no exception. She'd selected her favourite high waisted skirt with a rose coloured button up shirt, matched nicely with her pearl necklace.

As her mother made her way to the kitchen, Hermione could feel her stomach writhing. She clenched her fists and rubbed her palms on her knees, looking around for something to distract her. Her father was buried in his paper, and her mother was preparing the tea.

"Peter," Tess called from the kitchen. "Peter, will you come here a moment?"

Hermione's father set the paper down on the glass table, "I'm coming, dear." He stood and smiled at Hermione upon noticing her staring at him. "What is it, pumpkin?"

She quickly wiped any concerned or pensive look from her face and smiled, "oh, nothing. I suppose I'm just tired. I was reading until late last night," she laughed. "You know me." Hermione stood abruptly and hurried over to her father.

"I just would like a hug," she explained, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her head to his chest. Peter Granger was a rather tall man, a rather skinny man as well. His hair was dark brown, and always combed properly. His teeth were immaculate, of course, and his smile was one of his best features.

Peter hugged her, "well, aww." He said warmly. "Thank you, dear." He let go of her and made his way into the kitchen.

"You know what your daughter just did? The sweetest thing," she could hear him saying to her mother. Hermione stood motionless in that spot. Her eyes beginning to swell irrevocably, and she felt tears begin to stream down her cheeks. She wiped a few away and turned on her heel, quickly going to the stairs and running up to her bedroom.

She opened the door and started in, taking a final look at her bedroom. On her desk was a small bag, which she had cast an undetectable extension charm. It was beaded and purple and green. She looked at her book shelves, which lined two of her four walls, and were now empty, as she'd dumped her books into the small bag.

Her bed was made neatly, with her childhood dolls propped up against the pillows. Her beige pillows were embroidered by her grandmother with lilac flowers making their way around. Hermione wept as she saw paintings and pictures she'd created as a small child, hung in frames around her room.

She wiped more tears from her face and hurried over to her bedside table. She opened the drawer and pulled out a rectangular box. "There you are," she whispered pathetically to her wand, as she opened the box. She stuffed the box into the small beaded bag, and then pulled her coat off of her desk chair.

Hermione gave her room one last look, feeling despair to see her empty closet and shelves. Finally, she stuffed the beaded bag into her coat pocket and holding her wand at attention in her right hand. She crept down the stairs, in case her parents were back in the main room. She had a small bit of hope that they'd returned back with the tea, so she would have a small bit of time left with them, but she knew it wasn't right to think that way.

Her heart sank as she realized they were indeed still in the kitchen. She held out her wand and silently made her way to the kitchen, where her parents were talking to each other while preparing the tea. They were faced away from her. She stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the main room and took a deep breath.

In that moment Hermione wanted to drop her wand and burst into tears, running to her mother and father and embracing them, never to let go. She thought of all of the times they'd laughed together while playing board games, and the times they'd gone to the zoo. The excitement her mother displayed while on their first trip to Diagon Alley before Hermione's first year at Hogwarts. She thought of simple things she would miss, such as spending days she was sick at her parents' dental office, and helping them answer phones or sort papers.

She would miss her mother's smile and kiss on her forehead before bed, or having her parents read to her. She would miss spending holidays with her parents, and she would just miss being able to spend time with them.

"I love you," she whispered, so quietly she almost couldn't hear.

"_Obliviate_," Hermione finally murmured, twisting her wand in her hand a little. She felt more tears stream down her face as a small stream of bright light flowed out of her wand and at her parents. The light disappeared for a split moment before returning back to her wand in small glowing particles.

Hermione looked back at the main room and noticed herself fading from their family portraits. She sniffled and wiped her tears quickly while making her way to the front door. She opened it, and stepped out into the cold, shutting the door behind her and crying as she made her way down the path to the street.

She placed her wand into her pocket and walked on down their street, she knew that it was important for her to calm down so she could focus once she found a quiet and secretive place to apparate. She turned to look back at her home, realizing it was no longer her home and she wouldn't ever return. It wasn't even her parents' home anymore, now.

They'd assume their identities as Wendell and Monica Wilkins in a matter of moments and would relocate to Broome, Australia, where they would live safely throughout the wizarding wars.

Hermione let out a last sob and carried on walking.


End file.
